---
title: "NGC 3938"
url: "https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-3938"
release: "DR1"
licence: "CC-BY-SA-4.0"
citation: "SpaceCatalog. NGC 3938 [catalogue entry]. Data release DR1 (2026-08-21). https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-3938"
---

# NGC 3938

NGC 3938 is a spiral [galaxy](https://spacecatalog.org/galaxies) Sc in the constellation [Ursa Major](https://spacecatalog.org/constellation/ursa-major), 51.46 Mly from Earth, shining at apparent magnitude 10.36 (V). Other catalogues list it as 2MASX J11524945+4407146, IRAS 11502+4423 and IRAS F11502+4423, among 9 designations in total. It was discovered in 1788.

## At a glance

- **WHAT IT IS:** Spiral galaxy
- **HOW FAR:** 51.46 Mly — A luminosity distance, from its redshift — how faint it looks. The light itself left 40.6 million years ago.
- **HOW BIG ON THE SKY:** 3.5′ — Small enough that the full Moon would cover it several times over.
- **HOW BRIGHT (V):** 10.36 — A small telescope reaches it.
- **WHERE TO LOOK:** [Ursa Major](https://spacecatalog.org/constellation/ursa-major) — The patch of sky it sits in, as seen from Earth.

## Properties

| Quantity | Value |
| --- | --- |
| CLASS | Spiral galaxy Sc |
| DISTANCE FROM EARTH | 51.46 Mly ±14 — by redshift (CMB frame), flat ΛCDM with H0 = 70 km/s/Mpc |
| APPARENT MAGNITUDE (V) | 10.36 |
| CONSTELLATION | Ursa Major |
| RIGHT ASCENSION (J2000) | 11h 52m 49.5s |
| DECLINATION (J2000) | +44° 07′ 14.6″ |
| DISCOVERED | 1788 |

## Catalogue data

### WHAT KIND OF THING IT IS

What the object is in itself, rather than how it happens to look from here.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Hubble type | Sc |

### HOW BRIGHT IT IS

What the light adds up to, measured through one filter at a time. A magnitude is a brightness on a backwards scale — the smaller the number, the brighter the object.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Apparent magnitude (B) | 10.88 |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 10.36 |
| Apparent magnitude (J) | 8.62 |
| Apparent magnitude (H band) | 8.17 |
| Apparent magnitude (K) | 7.81 |
| Surface brightness | 22.39 mag/arcsec² |

### WHERE IT IS AND HOW IT MOVES

Position, motion across the sky and the size it covers on it. These are measurements of the object as seen from here, so every one of them depends on where here is.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Radial velocity | 870 km/s |
| Redshift (z) | 0.00291 |
| Redshift (z, CMB frame) | 0.00367338 |
| Major axis | 3.55′ |
| Minor axis | 3.44′ |
| Position angle | 28° |

### WHEN IT WAS FOUND

Who first saw it, from where, and by what method.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Discovered by | William Herschel |

### OTHER NAMES AND NUMBERS

The identifiers other catalogues file this object under, for anyone joining this data to theirs.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| OpenNGC type code | G |
| Wikidata item | Q1107219 |
| Wikipedia article | NGC 3938 |

## Also known as

- 2MASX: 2MASX J11524945+4407146
- IRAS: IRAS 11502+4423
- IRAS: IRAS F11502+4423
- LEDA: LEDA 37229
- MCG: MCG +07-25-001
- NGC: NGC 3938
- PGC: PGC 37229
- SDSS: SDSS J115249.43+440714.6
- UGC: UGC 6856

## Source

[OpenNGC](https://github.com/mattiaverga/OpenNGC) — CC-BY-SA-4.0

The producer asks: OpenNGC, Mattia Verga (github.com/mattiaverga/OpenNGC). Fields derived from it stay under CC BY-SA 4.0.

How this was made: https://spacecatalog.org/methods#source-openngc

## Cite this page

SpaceCatalog. NGC 3938 \[catalogue entry\]. Data release DR1 (2026-08-21). https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-3938

```bibtex
@misc{spacecatalog_ngc-3938,
  author       = {{SpaceCatalog}},
  title        = {{NGC 3938}},
  howpublished = {SpaceCatalog, data release DR1 (2026-08-21)},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-3938},
  note         = {Catalogue entry, data release DR1 (2026-08-21). Values from OpenNGC.}
}
```

OpenNGC — CC-BY-SA-4.0

Acknowledgement the producer asks for: OpenNGC, Mattia Verga (github.com/mattiaverga/OpenNGC). Fields derived from it stay under CC BY-SA 4.0.

The page itself, with its pictures, the sky map and the observing tools: https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-3938